A Visit To Bird Rock Tropicals

Bird Rock Tropicals is a mail order Bromeliad nursery in San Diego County.  One can also visit the nursery by appointment.
Out front are some big clumps of big Aechmeas(?) and some magnificent blooming Aloe 'Hercules'.

 Even their small (1 m) tall 'Hercules' were pushing out flowers. 

 More Broms edging the parking area

 The nursery dog supervises your visit, and takes a break now and then to play in the Carpobrotus edulis.

 Mostly all I can say about Bird Rock Tropicals, besides identifying a few of the plants is: "Wow!  Wow!  Awesome!" 

 The bronzy Tillandsia at the top is T. capitata 'Coral'

 Tillandsia 'Samantha',  hybridized by the owner of Bird Rock

 There were many amazing plants.  I'm not overly familiar with the Bromeliad family, so I could not get all the names straight.  
Plus there were a lot of distractions. 

 Neoregelia 'Cantankerous'

  A form of T. purpurea.  This inflorescence is long past fresh, but still eye-catching.  In this species, the flowers are fragrant.

 T. tectorum?

 This is T. rauhii, reigning from thrones of Spanish Moss, T. usneoides.  The name was easy to remember because there is an Aloe rauhii.  Both plants are named in honor of Dr. Werner Rauh, the internationally renowned botanist and author of the two-volume work "Succulent and Xerophytic Plants of Madagascar", as well as
"Bromelien - Tillandsien und andere kulturwürdige Bromelien". 

 The tiny deep purple flowers on the huge flower stems of T. rauhii were just starting to appear. 

 T. xerographica

 Large clumps decades old hang here and there.

Like I said, wow. 

 Wow wow wow.

No, not for sale

 Strange flower stalk on this one.  One actual flower is just emerging, bright yellow.  Bromeliads all have three flower petals;  that is how you tell they are a Bromeliad. 

 T. streptophylla(ish)?, maybe? 

 Back outside in the parking lot, we stopped to catch our breath.

 Like I said, wow.  So of course I bought a few plants, a very few.  I picked out many more and then put them back.  

Neoregelia 'Chilipo' above,  Neoregelia 'Super Fireball' lower left:

 Purple!

Tillandsia mereliana

 This name I remember:  T. capitata 'Coral'.  It has the same green and the same bronze coloration as Aloe deltoideodonta 'Sparkler', so I photographed them together. 

Bird Rock has a mail-order business.   Their plants are great, and their staff is friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, so if you are looking for beautiful bromeliads, check them out!